Child Protective Services Reintegration Project (CRP)

About This Program

Target Population:
Children/Adolescents ages 5-17 who reside in therapeutic or residential placement facilitated by child welfare and have an Axis I diagnosis (i.e., a clinical disorder(s), including major mental disorders, learning disorders, and substance use disorders) and their parent(s)/caregiver(s)

For children/adolescents ages:
5 – 17

For parents/caregivers of children ages:
5 – 17

Program Overview

CRP provides home- and community-based services to help children/adolescents with mental health challenges transition back to the community from out-of-home placements, such as residential treatment centers (RTCs), hospitals, foster homes, and shelters.

CRP utilizes the Wraparound process, which builds on families’ inherent strengths to care for youth with complex needs. Each youth/family is assigned to a Care Coordinator, whose role is to empower the youth and family—to set their own goals, decide how to meet them, and access/advocate for necessary support.

Program Goals

The goal of the CPS Reintegration Project (CRP) is:

Reduce the number of children/adolescents involved in the child welfare system due to their mental health needs by exiting children/adolescents from licensed care and reintegrating with caregivers in their home community

Parent Engagement and Self-Advocacy (PESA) is an opportunity for parents, foster parents, caregivers, and caseworkers to learn about how the child welfare system impacts the child, the parent/caregiver, and the family. It is 5 sessions and covers these specific topics

Child/Adolescent Development and Mental Health

Child Welfare System

School System

Communication and Organizational skills

Advocacy

Flexible Funding that allows the project to fund services and supports that are not covered by insurance such as: crisis respite, mentoring, parent coaching, behavioral aide, non-traditional therapies (music, art, recreational). Additionally, the funds can be used to cover basic need costs incurred by the families such as rent, utilities, clothing, and furniture.

The Clinical Manager (TCM) Integrated software system that allows the project to data enter clinical information, demographics, and billing authorizations.

Children/Adolescents served by this project have a significant mental or behavioral health challenge that required placement in a specialized setting such as a residential treatment center.

The caregivers served by this project are any individuals recommended and approved by CPS who is willing to accept the child/adolescent into their home. This includes the child/adolescent’s biological parent(s) – even if parental rights have been terminated; biological kin; fictive kin; and postadoptive parents (individuals whose adoption of the child/adolescent has been consummated, but due to mental health needs the child/adolescent was returned to foster care to receive intensive mental health services).

The focus for caregivers is on education, home environment, advocacy, and skill development. Based on areas of focus identified by the parent/caregiver, individualized services are provided such as parent coaching, individual/family therapy.

Program Delivery

Child/Adolescent Services

Child/adolescent presents with an Axis I diagnosis; behavioral challenges; removal by child welfare; placement in a therapeutic or residential setting based on their mental health needs and behavioral challenges

Parent/Caregiver Services

Parent/Caregiver’s limited capacity to parent a child/adolescent with special behavioral and mental health challenges

Services Involve Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment:
The coordinator takes the parent/caregiver through strength and needs assessments and identifies family resources to support the reintegration. The program encourages other family/fictive kin members to become part of the Child and Family Team and to work with the parent/caregiver and child/adolescent to make the reintegration successful. Other members of the household, or immediate family, can receive services and supports through the program to provide a holistic intervention.

Recommended Intensity:

Contact depends on the phase of service:
The Screening phase lasts for 30 days and is generally 3 face-to-face visits with the parent/caregiver and 1-2 face to face visits with the child/adolescent. The length of time varies from 1 to 3 hours. The Pre-Integration Planning phase is two Child and Family Team Meetings; 1 contact with the child; and numerous telephone calls and e-mails to collaborate with team members. The Reintegration phase varies from weekly to twice-a-month contact depending on the length of time a child/adolescent has been residing in the home. There are also weekly phone calls, e-mails, and meetings with school personnel. The Ongoing phase varies in contact from twice-a-month to once-a-month depending on the level of need and functioning of the family.

Recommended Duration:

The program serves the family until the child/adolescent has stabilized in the community and has dependable supports and services. The total length of service is on average 16 months (1 month screening; 3 months planning for reintegration; 6 months in home with open CPS case; 6 months in-home with CPS case closed.)

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

Adoptive Home

Birth Family Home

Homework

This program does not include a homework component.

Languages

Child Protective Services Reintegration Project (CRP) has materials available in
a language other than English:

Spanish

For information on which materials are available in
this language,
please check on the program's website or contact the program representative
(contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

Travis County Reintegration Project: Permanency outcomes for youth with complex mental health needs served by the Child Protective Services Reintegration Project in Travis County, Texas. This webpage has links to 2 evaluations of this project. Retrieved from the Casey Family Programs website: http://www.casey.org/resources/initiatives/austinreintegration/

The CEBC is funded by the California Department of Social Services’ (CDSS’) Office of Child Abuse Prevention and is one of their targeted efforts to improve the lives of children and families served within child welfare system.